Signaling system.



R. H. GAYLORD & G. B. OAPPS.

SIGNALING SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED APILZB, 191s.

Patented Apr. 21, 19M

4 SHEETS-SHEET l.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH co., WASHINGTON, n. c.

R. H. GAYLORD & G. B. GAPPS.

SIGNALING SYSTEM APPLICATION FILED APILZB, 1913. 1,093,926, Patented Apr. 21, 19m

4 SHEETSSHEET 2.

t /////J////7/////////f///// 73 12 asses COLUMBlA PLANOORAFH co., WASHINGTON, n. c.

R. H. GAYLORD & G. B. GAPPS.

SIGNALING SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 28, 1913.

1,09 3,926. Patented Apr. 21, 19m

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

M 61 0 Myaudw am;

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH c0., WASHINGTON. D. c.

R. H. GAYLORD & G. B. GAPPS.

SIGNALING SYSTEM.

APPLIOATION FILED APR.28,'1913.

1,093,926, Patented Apr. 21, 1914.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

Lit ?0 ?0 COLUMBIA PLANOORAPl I C0.,\VASH|NOTON. n. c.

ROBERT H. GAYLORD, OF PASADENA, AND

FORNIA, ASSIGNORS T0 FOULKES-G-AYLORD GUY B. CAPPS, OF LOS ANGELES, GALI- COMPANY, OF LOS ANGELES, CALI- FORNIA, A CORPORATION OF CALIFORNIA.

SIGNALING SYSTEM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 21, 1914.

Application filed April 28, 1913. Serial No. 764,274.

' To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ROBERT H. GAYLORD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pasadena, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, and GUY B. OAPPS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented a new and useful Signaling System, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a signaling system particularly adapted for use with elevators the object of the invention being to provide improved means for controlling signals at each of a series of floors, adjacent to an elevator shaft, in such manner that a person on any floor will be advised of the approach of a car going in either up or down direction.

A further object of the invention is to provide improved means for signaling to the operator on any car, as he approaches a floor, to advise him that a person desires to enter the car at that floor.

An important object of the present invention is to dispense with the use of commutating contacts operated by the elevator to control the timing of the signals in correspondence with the movement of the elevator. According to our invention, this control of the timing of the signals is effected by means controlling the impedance or inductance of the signaling circuits without opening the circuits. Many difliculties incident to the use or operation of elevator signal systems of this type are obviated by dispensing with the use of commutator contacts, as such contacts are a source of difficulty and expense on account of the liability to wear and burn out.

Another object of the invention is to provide improved means for indicating at one or more of the floors, for example, the bottom floor, the position of theelevator car in its shaft.

Another object of the invention is to reduce the amount of wiring required for the signals.

Other objects of the invention will appear hereinafter.

The accompanying embodiments of the invention, thereto:

Figure l is a diagram of the system showdrawings illustrate and referring ing the circuit connections. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of one of the push buttons for controlling the signals. Fig. 3 is a section on line a' m in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is an elevation of the means for indicating the position of the car in the shaft. Fig. 5 is a vertical section of the switch for changing the operating circuit connection from the up to the down signals, or vice versa. Fig. 6 is a plan view of the reactive controlling means and the means for operation thereof, the rail for supporting said controlling means being shown in section. Fig. 7 isa vertical. section of one of the mag netic cores for said controlling means. Fig. 8 is a section on line :0 a1 Fig. 7 Fig. 9 is a diagrammatic elevation showing an embodiment of the invention comprising signaling means for indicating the approach of the cars at the floors, without the use of car signals or push buttons. Fig. 10 is a diagrammatic illustration of another form of the invention, in which thereactive controlling means are brought together at a single floor. Fig. 11 is a diagram showing another arrangement for the reactive control of the signals.

Each floor except the top and bottom floors is provided with up and down push buttons 1 and 2, said push buttons being provided with means whereby they are normally held in open position and with means for holding them in operated position until the signaling operation has been efiected. For this purpose any suitable construction of push button may be used, for example, that shown in Figs. 2 and 3, wherein the push button 1 slidably mounted in a wall 3 is connected to operate a lever 4: pivotally mounted at 5 and engaging a push bar 6 mounted to slide in a box or case 7 and operated by a spring 8 so as to tend to throw the push button outwardly. A conical or beveled head or shoulder 10 on the slide or push bar 6 is adapted to engage with the lower end of a stud 11 on the bottom of a core 12 slidably mounted within a solenoid 13 mounted 011 the case 7. A metallic disk or plate lt is mounted on said core 12 by an insulating means 15 and is adapted to engage contact springs 16 on the case 7 said contact springs 16 being insulated, for example, by making the case 7 of insulating material. The solenoid 13 is connected in circuit with the contact springs and with the source of current so as to be operative in holding the switch plate 14: in closed position under certain conditions, as hereinafter set forth.

At each floor in the building, between the top and bottom floors, is provided an upsignal 20 and a down-signal 21 for each elevator shaft. The top floor is provided with a down-signal and with a down push button only, and the bottom or ground floor is provided with an up-signal and an up-push button only. Each elevator car is provided with an up-signal 22 and a down-signal 23, said signals 22 and 28 being connected in circuit with the usual flexible cables to maintain electrical connection in the vertical travel of the elevators, and the several nals being connected in circuit with the respective push buttons aforesaid so that the operation of any one of the push buttons will close circuit corresponding to the floor and to the direction for which said button stands and controlling means are provided whereby the operation of the signals, subsequent to such operation of the push button is controlled and determined by the position of the car. The signals aforesaid may be electric lamps, differentiated for the up and down signals by colored screens, or otherwise, in well known manner.

The controlling means for determining the operation of the signals by movement or change of position of the car comprises a series or plurality of solenoids or coils 25, and 26, and cores 30 of magnetizable material, preferably soft iron, adapted to travel in and through said solenoids or coils to control the inductance, impedance or magnetic reactance of the said solenoids or coils and of the circuits including the same. For convenience, said cores are mounted on a flexible suspension means consisting, for example, of a metallic strip 31 to which all of the cores 30 are clamped, said strip being hung from a cable 32 running over a sheave 33 and winding, for example, on a shaft 34-. for a d um or pulley 85 over which the elevator cable 36 passes, so that the suspension means 31 and the cores 30 connected thereto, travel correspondently to the elevator car, but at a relatively slow speed. In order to facilitate winding and obviate the necessity of carrying all the wires to a given point, we prefer to adopt the arrangement shown in Fig. 1, wherein the controlling coils or sole noids are provided at the respective floors to which they correspond and the system of cores 30 with their suspending means 31 extend the entire height of the series of floors, the vertical travel of said system of cores, however, being less than the height of a sin gle floor. As a convenient means of supporting the controlling solenoids or coils, the same may be supported on brackets 37 clamped on vertical rails 38 for the elevator shaft, as shown in F G, and the sheave 33 over which the suspendin cable 32 runs may also be supported on a similar bracket clamped in the same manner on the said rail. In order to facilitate placing the cores 30 in position on the strip 31, each core may have a radial slot 40 extending inwardly from one side to receive the said strip 31, so that the core may be slipped over said strip and may then be fastened in place by a set screw 11 screwing in the core and engaging said strip 31.

Each. of the coils or solenoids 25 and 26 is provided with two similar windings wound side by side but insulated from one another, and connected in separate branch circuit connections, as hereinafter set forth, so as to control simultaneously and corre spondently, the impedance in the branch circuits including its respective windings.

The top floor is provided only with a coil 20 for control of the down-signal and the bottom floor is provided only with coil for control of the up-signal at that floor. Each of the intermediate floors is provided both with coil 26 and with a coil 25 for control of the respective down and up sig nals for the corresponding floor. In order to properly control. the signals so as to indicate only for the direction in which the car is moving, it is necessary to shift the current from the down to the up signal or vice versa when the car reverses its direction of motion. For this purpose we prefer to use a switch (30 such, for example, as illustrated in Fig. 5, said switch being adapted to be opera'cd mechanically by one of the cores 30, for example, the uppermost core, the fixed parts of said switch being mounted in a cas ing lfie, secured to the casii'ig 15 for the up pcrmost coil 26. insulating disks 11 3 are mounted within this casing 4+1: and support an upper pair of contact springs l7 and a lower pair of contact priugs 4:8, and a lloating insulating dish surrounds the uppermost core 30 and is frictionally connected thereto by means of spring contact devices such as blocks 50, slidable in radial. slots 51 in said disk 4+9 and pressed against the core 30 or against a non-ma etic extension 80 of core 80 by springs b aring against screws 53 in said disk 4%). Said insulating disk 1:9 carries metal contact rings or plates and on its top and bottom face, respectively. As soon as the elevator begins to move upwardly in its shaft, the resulting upward movement of the core 1-30 causes the insulating disk to be drawn upwardly by its frictional connection with said core, and brings contact plate 54: on top of said disk into contact with the upper pair of springs this contact being el'l'cctcd before the car rises the height of a single floor, and being maintained as the car continues to rise, the core 30 slipping through the frictional contact means in this further movement. The upper pair of contacts 47 are included in the up signal circuit so that during this tlme, the connection for up-signal circuit will be established subject to control by the push buttons. When the car starts down, the above described operation is reversed and the down-signal circuit connection is established and maintained by contact of the metal ring or plate 55 on the bottom of the insulating disk 49 with the lower pair of contact springs 48.

Referring to Fig. 1, showing the circuit connections, one side or wire or the supply circuit indicated at 61 is connected by branch wires 63 to one contact 16 of each of the push buttons for up and down signals at each floor. The other contact of each uppush button is connected by a wire 64 in cluding solenoid 13 to a wire 65 which leads to the up-signal coil 25 for the floor corresponding to that push button. In general, there will be more than one elevator shaft and this wire 65 leads to the up-signal coil 25 for each shaft at that floor. The two windings of the coil 25 are connected at one end to said wire 65 and at their other ends are connected respectively to wires 67 and 68, Wire 67 leading through the up-signal 20 at that floor to an up-return wire 69, and wire 68 leading to a trunk line 7 O which extends the full height of the shaft and connects with the wires 68 for all of the up signal coils 25 and is connected at its lower end to the conductor 71 leading to the upsignal 22 in the elevator car indicated at 73. From said signal 22 a return wire 74 leads through the flexible cable to the upreturn wire 69 aforesaid, said up-return wire 69 extending the full height of the shaft and receiving the return connections 67, including the up-signal for each floor. Said up-ret-urn wire 69 is connected to one of the pair of contacts L7 of the reversing switch 60 aforesaid, the other con tact of said pair being connected through a wire 7 6 to the other side or wire 62 of the supply circuit. The connections for the down signals are similar to those above described for the up-signals, one side of each down-push button being connected by wire 78 to a wire 79 leading to the two windings of the down-signal coil 26 at that floor, said windings being connected respectively by wires 80 and 81 to the down floor signals 21 and to the flexible cable conductor 82 leading to the down-car signal 23, said downcar signal being connected by the flexible cable conductor 83 to the down-return wire 84 to which are connected the wires 81 afore said including the down-signals at the respective floors. Said down-return wire 84L is connected to one of the lower pair of contacts 48 of reversing switch 60, the other contact of said pair being connected to the wire 76 aforesaid. The supply wires 61, 62 lead to any suitable source of alternating current.

The operation is as follows Assuming that the elevator car has ust started down from the top of the shaft, the controlling devices will occupy the position shown in Fig. 1, the suspending means having just started down from its highest position. The cars are assumed to be running on schedule, and as soon as the car starts down, the upper ring 54 of the switch 60 breaks contact with contacts 4:7 and the lower ring 55 makes contact with contacts 48, establishing a connection for the down signal circuit, and putting the system under the control of the down signal push buttons and the reactance coils in circuit therewith. When the down push button at any floor is pressed, the slide 6 is pushed back so as to cause its inclined portion 10 to engage with the portion 11 on the movable switch member, and raise the switch contact member 14 into position to contact with contact means 16, the switch being retained in this position by engagement of the part 11, with the shoulder 10, over which it passes at the end of this stroke. There is thus established a connection from the supply wire 61 through the contacts 16, and down signal coil 26 at that floor, to the down signal 21 and return wire 84, and as soon as the connection is established to this wire at the reversing switch 60, by the starting of downward movement of the car, current will flow from the alternating currentsupply circuit, as follows: from wire 61, through wire 63, contacts 16, let and 16, wires 78 and 79, to the windings of coil 26 at that floor; through one of said windings to wire 80, and the down signal 21 at that floor, and thence through wire 84, contacts l8 of switch 60 and wire 76 to the other side of the supply circuit and from the other winding of coil 26 current flows through wire 81, flexible conductor 82, car signal 23 and wire 84. Alternating current will flow in the circuit so established, the amount of current depending on the impedance of the circuit. The main factor in such impedance is the reactance or inductance of the coil 26 in this circuit, and in case the position of the controlling means is such as to bring a core within this coil, the reactance of the coil is sufficient to prevent enough current passing therethrcugh to light or of fectively operate the signals in the circuit. hen the car is just starting down from the top of the shaft, the cores 30 corresponding to the coils 26 for the two next floors, are above their respective coils, so that the re actance of said coils is small, and if the down push button at either of said floors is operated so as to close the circuit for the coil 26 at that floor, suiiicient current will pass in said circuit to light or effectively energize the signal 21 at that floor, and also to light the down signal 23 in the car. The coils 2G for all floors below those named are at this time occupied by their corresponding cores 30 so that the re ctance of such coils is sut- 110i ent to pr ent any considerable amount of current flowing therethrough. It, therefore, the down push button is pressed at any of the said lower floors at this time the current will flow only in small quantity through the corresponding signal circuit, until by the continued downward movement of the el.e vator, the system of cores 30 is lowered suit ficiently to move the core out of the coil 26 corresponding to that floor, whereupon the down signal 21 tor that tioor and down signal in the elevator car will be lighted by reason of the reduction of impedance in the corresponding circuits. This removal or withdrawal of the core from the reactance coil is etlected successively or progressively tor th several floors in descending order as the car descends, the controlling device, consisting of the series of cores, descending as the car descends, but at a greatly reduced speed. The arrangement of the cores 80 on their suspending means is such that the cores are withdrawn from the down signal coils 26 for those two floors which are immediately below the car, and as the car reaches any floor the core 30 corresponding to the down si nal coil 26 at that floor is brought into said coil. Thu the down signal coils 26 for all floors except those two which are immediately in advance of the car are occupied by cores and theircorresponding down signal circuits are rendered inoperative reason of the high impedance of such circuits. lVheu the car reaches the bottom of the shaft and starts up, the reverse switch (30 operates to close the connection to the up signal return wire 69, bringing the signals under the control of the system of up signal push buttons and up signal controlling coils 25, the up signal being brought into etiective operation by withdrawal of the cores S0 therefrom so that only the two signals directly in advance of the elevator car are allowed to operate. will be understood that the cores maybe so arranged as to allow signals to operate for any do ired number of floors in advance of the car, whether one or more.

Each signal connection, as above traced, includes the coil of solenoid 13, so that when this signal circuit becomes effectively energized, the said solenoid will lift the switch member 14-, allowing the bar 6 to be thrown back to normal position by spring 8. The switch member 1 1 is held up in position to maintain the circuit as long as the solenoid 18 remains energized, but when the current in the signal circuit is reduced by introduction of a core into the corresponding coil 26 or 25, the solenoid 13 allows its core to drop and contact is broken between switch. member 1 1 and contacts 16, restoring the circuit to normal condition.

At any suitable point in the building, for example, at the lower floor adjacent the elevator shaft, we may provide a signaling means indicating the position of the car, said signaling means operating on the principle of control by reactance, similarly to the control of the floor signals. For this purpose a series of signal lights 90 see Fig. 4;, mounted on a suitable support and indicating or corresponding to the respective ioors are connected in branch wires 91 lead.- ing from the supply wire 61 through \Vllld ings 92 to the return wire 62 of the alternating current supply circuit. The windings 92 are arranged in the form of a continuous solenoid traversed by a pair of cores 9-1- of magnetic material connected together mechanically iy suitable means indicated at 95 so that said cores are spaced apart a distance equal to the length of one coil 92. Said cores 9 1 are connected to be operated in correspondence with the movement of the car, for example, by connecting the upper core 9% to the lower end of the suspending means 31 aforesaid. As the car passes up and down the shaft, the pair 01 cores 9 1- are raised or lowered so as to bring the space 9 1 between said cores within the winding 92 connected with the signal 90 corresponding to the floor at which the car is located at that time. By this means the impedance of the circuit through the signal corresponding to the position of the car is reduced to a minimum and sutlicient current will, there tore, flow through this signal to light or energize the same while the other signals are rendered inoperative by reason of the high reactance of the coils connected therewith, due to the extension of the cores 94 within said coils.

The invention is also applicable to systems wherein floor signals only are used, without push buttons or car signals such application of the invention being illustrated in Fig. 9, wherein the floor signals 20 and 21 are connected tl'irough corresponding coils 25 and 26 in branch circuits 90 leading from the wire or wires 100 connected to the supply line 61 to the respective up and down return wires 102, 103, connected through switch 10-1 to the other wire 62 ot the supply circuit, said switch 10-1 being operated automatically by the car when it reverses direction of motion in the manner above set forth. The operation of this form of the invention is similar to that of the signaling means shown in Fig. 1 except that the signals and controlling coils are located at the several floors instead of in juxtaposition. If desired, however, the controlling coils may be brought together into compact arrangement as shown in Fig.

10, the signals 20 and 21 being arranged at different floors and being connected by wires 107 and 108 with the respective winding sections 25 and 26 of two solenoids 109 and 110 in each of which operates a pair of cores 9% similar in construction and operation to those shown in Fig. 4: and operated in correspondence with the motion of the car, but at reduced speed, by suspending and operating cable 111.

In place of controlling the signals by removing reactance from a series connection with the signals, the controlling operation may be performed by including a reactance in a shunt connection around the signals. An arrangement of circuit connections for this purpose is shown in Fig. 11 wherein the several floor signals 112 are connected in series in a connection 113 between the wires 61 and 62 of the supply circuit and a shunt connection 114 is provided around each signal including a coil 115, said coils 115 being arranged, for example, as a continuous solenoid adapted to receive a core 116 supported by suspending means 117, so as to move in correspondence with the car and to always occupy the coil 115 which is in shunt around the signal 112 corresponding to the floor at which the car is located, so that the increase of reactance or inductance of this coil will cause current to be forced through said signal. Coils 115 corresponding to the floors above and below that at which the car is located are not occupied by the core and the inductance of such coils is therefore small, so that the alternating current passes through these coils in sufiicient amount to prevent lighting or effective operation of the signals 112, the amount of current supplied to the circuits 61, 62 being always suflicient to operate a signal lamp if all of such current passes through the lamp, but not sufficient to operate such lamp when any considerable part of the current is diverted through the shunt around the lamp.

What we claim is:

1. In a signaling system for elevators, the combination of a plurality of signals, an alternating current supply connection for said signals, circuit connections from said alternating current supply connection to each of said signals, each of said circuit connections including a coil, and core means connected to move in correspondence with the movement of the elevator car and moving successively in inductive relation with respect to the respective coils aforesaid so as to control the reactance of the signal circuits successively in the movement of the elevator car.

2. Signaling means for indicating the position of a moving car comprising a plurality of electric signals, an alternating current circuit, branches from said circuit to the respective signals, each branch including a coil, and core means connected to move in correspondence with the movement of said car and movable into and through the respective coils aforesaid to change the reactance thereof.

3. An elevator signaling system comprising a plurality of signals corresponding to different floors, alternating current circuit connections for said signals, coils in said circuit connections, and core means for said coils connected to move in correspondence with the movement of the elevator car and operated thereby to move into and out of said coils to control the signals.

l. An elevator signaling system comprising a plurality of signals corresponding to different floors, alternating current circuit connections for said signals, coils in said circuit connections, a cable connected to move in correspondence with the movement of the elevator car and core means for said coils supported by said cable and operated thereby to move the core means into and out of said coils to control the signals.

5. An elevator signaling system comprising a plurality of signals corresponding to different floors, alternating current circuit connections for said signals, coils in said circuit connections, a suspending means connected to move in correspondence to the movement of the elevator car and cores for said coils adjustably mounted on said suspending means and operated thereby to move the cores into and out of said coils to control the signals.

0. An elevator signaling system comprising a plurality of signals corresponding to difierent floors, alternating current circuit connections including said signals, push buttons for controlling said circuit connections, means for retaining said push buttons in operated position, electromagnetic controlling means included in the connection controlled by each push button for releasing said push button from its said retaining means and for temporarily holding said push button in operated position under control of said electromagnetic controlling means, a reactance coil in the circuit con nection of each push button and signal, and core means for said coils connected to move in correspondence with the movement of the elevator car for controlling the reactance of said coils so as to control the energization of the signals and of said electromagnetic controlling means at the push button.

7. An elevator signaling system comprising a plurality of signals corresponding to different floors, and including up signals and down signals in the elevator car, alternating circuit connections for said floor signals and car signals, coils in said circuit connections, and cores connected to move in correspondence with the movement of the elevator car to control the reactance of said 

